Linked Nightmares
by Jess and Lin
Summary: Sophie and Jamie share the same nightmare. Short but sad. Set during (Snowflakes) On My Wrist. T for some violence


I was going to start the next chapter of (Snowflakes) with this but then decided against it 'cause it was sad.

~RotG~

It had taken an hour for Sophie to go back to sleep after waking from a nightmare, and now she was being thrown into another one. The first one had been about her friends and the Guardians, but this new one was completely different.

Sophie was lost in the woods, and it was snowing so much she could hardly see. She looked around nervously and wrapped her arms around herself as she leaned back against a tree.

It was _cold_. Usually when it was cold, Jamie would smile and tell her that Jack would be there soon, but something was wrong. She didn't know what, but she had a feeling something wasn't right.

She took a deep breath to calm down and reminded herself to just wait until someone found her_. That's what people are supposed to do, right? You stay where you are. _But then there was a growl, faint but angry. It didn't sound too close, but it still unnerved her.

Sophie took a quiet step away from the direction it was coming from when she heard - "Sophie!"

_Jamie?_

She looked in the direction the shout had come from and almost answered him. But the growl had turned into a snarl as the thing raced away. It was going after Jamie.

"No!" Sophie screamed, then froze. A dark wolf spun around at her scream and glared at her. _Oops_. Sophie and the wolf stared at each other for a moment before it took a step in her direction.

Sophie ran blindly away from it but hadn't gone far when she suddenly tripped and fell. Jagged rocks scratched her and her clothes were caught on sharp twigs. She tried to pull away and keep going, but the wolf had caught up. It growled and snapped its fangs at her. Sophie screamed as she scrambled backwards, away from the wolf. "_Jamie!_"

The wolf snapped at her, and she hissed when it bit her ankle. She kicked it and it stopped, slightly dazed. Sophie took that moment to get up and run. Her leg ached, but she ran in the direction she thought Jamie was.

"Jamie!"

_Sophie?_

Jamie tried to look around the lake, but the snow storm seemed to muffle the yell. So he called back, "Sophie?"

He couldn't see anything, so he listened carefully. He was sure he'd heard Sophie calling him...

"Jamie! Where are you?" Sophie's voice cried fearfully. "Jamie!"

Jamie ran along the lakeside, trying to pinpoint where her voice was coming from. He stopped when Sophie stopped yelling. "Sophie!"

There wasn't an answer for a moment. Then there was a bloodcurdling shriek that cut itself off suddenly. Jamie's heart stopped for a moment as the scream echoed loudly. Jamie turned toward the lake, searching desperately for his sister. He had never heard her scream like that, and he hoped he never would again. He stepped close to the edge of the lake, trying to see if she was stuck on the ice... Or had she fallen in?

"Sophie!" Jamie yelled, then slipped onto the frozen lake. He hit the ice hard, landing on his back and knocking the breath out of himself. He tried to stit up when the ice started to crack sharply underneath him. Jamie froze with a soft intake of breath. _How can it be snowing so much and the ice still isn't thick enough? That doesn't make sense._ But if this was a nightmare...then it didn't have to make sense.

Jamie took a slow, deep breath and slowly got up. _It doesn't matter. I have to get Sophie._

He had to get off the lake first, so he took a step toward the shore - or at least he hoped it was toward shore. The ice cracked a little more, forming a web.

"Jamie!" Sophie's terrified voice was suddenly clear, and Jamie's attention was taken away from his own danger to focus on her.

The snow had finally begun to let up, but the teen had his back to shore and still couldn't see his baby sister. So he tried to calm her down. "It'll be okay, Soph! Just - just hold on, okay?" The ice cracked more, as if his words were adding weight. He bit his lip when his sister didn't answer. "Sophie?"

"Don't move! I'll - I'll get Jack!"

"Wait! Soph, don't!" Jamie took a step toward shore, turning as he did so. A thin line sliced through the ice, warning him. He winced but focused on Sophie and getting to shore.

Two thoughts raced through Jamie's mind. _She's hurt_ and _How did I get so far from shore?_ Sophie was limping and had a few scrapes from when she had fallen. She looked exhausted, but what really caught Jamie's attention was the large wolf stalking her. It was at the edge of the trees, watching them both. Jamie glared at it, but it only shook it's head.

Jamie glanced at the ice beneath him, which threatened to break under his feet. _Move and you'll fall._

_Save Sophie or die trying._

He took another, careful step, but Sophie shouted, panicking, "Wait! I can find Jack! He'll - he can freeze the lake! Just wait!"

She started to leave, but Jamie noticed the wolf sneaking closer. "No! Soph, you're hurt." Sophie stopped, and the wolf paused. Jamie bit his lip. "I'll get off the ice, okay? Just wait, and we'll find Jack together. Got it?"

Sophie shook her head, her eyes filling with tears. "Jamie, be careful!"

He looked down at the ice again. He wondered if he could save her, but the ice cracked loudly. It wasn't going to hold forever, so Jamie jumped as the ice broke.

The wolf never got the chance to attack Sophie. She woke up screaming and crying while her eighteen year old brother sat bolted upright, gasping for air and choking on the vivid memory of icy water.


End file.
